TGS 2007: Major Announcements!

New Kingdom Hearts

Square-Enix is such a powerful force in gaming, not only in Japan but across the globe. Any company responsible for the Final Fantasy dynasty as well as several other hugely momentous games has to make an impact everywhere they go. And Square Enix definitely left an impression on the Tokyo Game Show this year with not one, but two new Kingdom Hearts-based title coming out fairly soon: Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days for the Nintendo DS, and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep for the PSP. And while not too much is known about these titles yet, I'm sure we'll get more information from Square-Enix as time goes on.

Sony fans were dealt a crushing blow when the announcement came that the Home service that we've all been hearing about is going to be delayed yet again, this time until next spring. No specific date was actually given, but hopefully more information will become available as we get closer to launch. This announcement was also quite painful as the Home service was an integral part of Sony's showing at E3 this past summer. But hopefully we'll all be able to bask in the glory of the Home network soon enough.

Evolution Studios Acquisition

Evolution Studios, which is best known for MotorStorm on the PS3, has been acquired by Sony. What will come of this newfound union? Well, MotorStorm 2, for one. And while this one is on the very distant horizon, I'm sure we'll hear of some more high-profile acquisition. Because Sony wouldn't buy an entire studio for one game, right?

Namco Bandai Fitness Game

By now you have heard of WiiFit, the new fitness-centered game for the Wii being developed by Nintendo. But if you thought only Nintendo could develop an exercise-based game, you're totally wrong. Namco Bandai has jumped on the fitness train and are developing Active Life: Athletic World for the Wii. The game's premise is very similar to WiiFit's and uses the same minigame-based approach to exercising that WiiFit did. One key difference between WiiFit and Active life is Active Life will not be using the Wii balance board as a peripheral, instead opting to use its own mat peripheral in conjunction with the Wii-Mote and Nunchuck for their fitness experience. No word yet, however, on which game will burn the most calories.

So there was not much that wasn't already speculated heavily about at this year's Tokyo Game Show. And while the jury is still out on a lot of what was said, at least we got confirmation of several things that we had been waiting on for quite some time.